District 88 wishes its stakeholders a safe and happy Spring Break

As we head into Spring Break, I would like to wish our staff, students, parents/guardians and community members a safe and happy break. I hope you all enjoy some time with family and friends and are able to relax and come back refreshed to finish the 2016-17 school year strong.

We have had a tremendous school year so far, and I would like to share some highlights that have taken place since Winter Break.

District and school news

  • We received multiple recognitions from the 2017 Niche Rankings. Read more about those honors at http://tinyurl.com/kof4ya5.
  • We refinanced a large portion of our outstanding bonds to take advantage of historically low interest rates. That refinancing of $80 million of bonds will save the district and taxpayers $10.6 million throughout the remaining 10-year bond term and future tax levies. We also received an Aa1 rating by Moody's Investors Service, which is the second-highest rating possible. Read more at http://tinyurl.com/kamlf4j.
  • The Willowbrook Guidance Department was named by the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) as a Recognized ASCA Model Program (RAMP) school. Read more at http://tinyurl.com/mej9xzt.

Academic successes

  • Addison Trail senior Jonathan Loi was named as a finalist in the 2017 National Merit Scholarship Program.
  • Addison Trail senior Lilia Garcia was selected to the 2016-17 DuPage County Daily Herald Leadership Team, and senior Leslie Tolentino was selected as an Honorable Mention of the team. Willowbrook seniors Casey King and Cynthia Orizaba also were selected as Honorable Mentions of the team.
  • We are partnering with the Greater Oak Brook Chamber of Commerce and the Addison Workforce Development Committee to work with local businesses to provide our students with real-world experiences. More information about those initiatives will be shared soon.
  • Willowbrook math teacher Josh Zwart and Willowbrook Career and Technical Education (CTE) teacher Kevin Quinn helped implement an Engineering Club. The club is presented by the Villa Park Public Library and Willowbrook and will take place through April. The goal of the program is to introduce students in sixth through eighth grades to the fields of engineering – mechanical, chemical, civil, electrical and management. Read more at http://tinyurl.com/ka7d4fa.

Extracurricular successes

  • Addison Trail seniors Ryan Cabildo and Alexia Vargas participated in the Illinois Music Education Conference. Willowbrook junior Kathleen Cicero, senior David Stoffle, senior Matthew Sulla, senior Emily Kreiman and junior Julia Cicero participated in the conference as well.
  • Fifteen Addison Trail students qualified to compete in the Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) State Leadership Conference in April. Six Willowbrook students will compete at that event as well.
  • Willowbrook junior Matthew Seymore and senior Bryce Johnson earned 1st place at Universal Technical Institute’s (UTI) Automotive Top Tech Challenge. Addison Trail junior Ryan Selvaggio and senior Anthony DiSilvestro earned 3rd place at that event.
  • Addison Trail senior Leslie Tolentino, senior Jonathan Loi, junior Angelo Pahopos and senior Gianna Sarli placed at the Business Professionals of America (BPA) State Competition. Tolentino and Loi also qualified to compete in the 2017 BPA National Leadership Conference in May. Willowbrook junior Sheharyar Ahmed, senior Habib Hassan, senior Mike Cameron, senior Vineet Patel, senior Mustafa Ali and senior Jonathon Staunton also qualified for that conference.
  • Eleven members of Willowbrook’s DECA Team competed in the State competition.
  • The Willowbrook Math Team made school history by becoming Willowbrook’s first Math Team to win a Regional competition. The students will compete at the Illinois Council of Teachers of Mathematics State Math Contest in May.
  • Twelve Addison Trail students qualified to compete in the SkillsUSA Illinois State Leadership & Skills Conference in April. Six Willowbrook students qualified as well.
  • Willowbrook musicians competed in the Illinois High School Association Solo & Ensemble Contest, and 20 students earned a Superior (Division 1) rating in the solo contest, and 21 students earned a Superior (Division 1) rating in the ensemble contest.
  • The Addison Trail Science Olympiad Team qualified to compete in the State Tournament in April.

Athletic successes

  • Addison Trail senior Darrion Conrad signed to play football at University of Sioux Falls, and senior Tomasz Kania signed to play soccer at University of Illinois at Chicago. Willowbrook senior Zachary Walenga signed to play football at University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, senior Kyle Ferguson signed to play baseball at Roosevelt University, senior Veronica Swan signed to play softball at College of DuPage, senior Michael Pieroni signed to play tennis at Elmhurst College and senior Jonathan Kelso signed to play football and baseball at University of Wisconsin-Platteville.
  • Willowbrook junior Jack Jessen finished in 2nd place in the 182-pound division of the Illinois High School Association Boys Wrestling State Tournament. Senior Dom Ranieri competed in the State Tournament in the 132-pound division.
  • Willowbrook senior Jordan Tiberi competed in the Illinois High School Association Girls Bowling State Tournament.
  • The Addison Trail-Willowbrook Boys Swim Team members were Co-Champions of the West Suburban Conference Gold Division with Hinsdale South and Downers Grove South. That Conference Championship marked the first title in the program’s history.
  • The Willowbrook Boys Basketball Team finished the season 25-5 overall, were Co-Conference Champions and set a team record for the most wins in a season. Junior Ethan Schuemer entered the Willowbrook record books as the 2nd all-time leading scorer and also is 2nd for most points in a season, with 478 points.
  • The Addison Trail Special Olympics Basketball Team competed in the Area 5 Special Olympics Illinois Basketball Tournament and earned 2nd place in Division 11.

Events

  • District 88 students and staff continue to give back through a variety of events and activities. Read more at http://tinyurl.com/l8ucu55.
  • In February, we hosted 10 students and two teachers from Huantai 1st Middle School (located in Zibo, a city in central Shandong province, China). Read more at http://tinyurl.com/moochwc.
  • Throughout the month of February, Addison Trail and Willowbrook students and staff participated in events to celebrate African-American History Month. Read more at http://tinyurl.com/mwbg4qw.

As you can see, it has been a great year at District 88, and we look forward to more successes as we close out the 2016-17 school year. Thank you for your continued support of District 88.